The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-04-09

1
| problems solved by this discovery. The
conversation and the toasts turned chiefly
upon the necessity OF Ii lifting the produc-
tion, so as not to give too severe q shock to
the commercial world
For three weeks Wachtmeister now la-
bored steadily In dngy little laboratory
which he had improvised In an empty bnck
room In the Hardness block. He delivered
| to the millionaire from time to time small
bars Of gold which tho assay proved to be
| genuine; but ho complained greatly at be.
ing obliged to work under such disadvan
tages, with imperfect light and no facilities
| for extended production. He dned almost
daily with Hardness, who, as he came td
know him, was more and more dazzled by
his brilliant talk scientific requirements,
and inexhaustiblc fund of anecdotes.
"You be on tho lookout, DOCTOR" he said
to him one evening as they sat slipping their
| Chartreuse and smoking high-flavored Ha-
vanas; 'ifyou see any thing that'll suit you
for laboratory, you just lie. o1c know ana
I'll plank down the cash"
| The Tcuton betrayed no emotion ut this
proposal; but about week later, when
there was a tremendous excitement on
Change at the revelation of corner in
Hardness favorite stock; he rushed breath
lessly into the latters Office with copy Of
the Ara in his hand.
"Look here" he cried; 'hcre is tho very
thing we want. 'For sale-The property Of
q. L. Perkins, Esq, at Oakland I've just
been out there, and Solomon Snyles has got
the refusal of it ut $4,000 They arc about
| to close the bargain. Now, If we can offer
$4,000 cash it's ours. It is dirt cheap, but
| Perkins has got squeezed on 'change and
can't raise money in any other way for mar
N IN RI hov hn oh l,v two
o'clock. Now, If you'll run out there with
me-
IL run out there-are you cracked, manw
roared the millionaire. "Don't you know
that. there's something very much like a
panic on changer
"Why no, hadn't heard of il. Well,
then, send out some agent of yours with
your check for $4,000 or the right to draw
on YOU for that amount"
"The deuce! l hain't got no time to
bother"
He scratched his head angrily, then drew
check for the required amount and handed
it to Wachtmeister. "You run out and
settle the thing yourself,"he said. "Iknow
the property. 1t is worth the money.
know, too, that Perkins is in a tight place.
You'd better hurry"
"But couldn't you send Lawson along
with me!''
"You just clear out. Do you suppose
can spare Lawson on day like this!"
GAN right You'll hear from me to-mor-
row."
Wachtmcister folded the check, put 1t into
his pocketbook, and rushed out as breath
lessly as he had come. 1t was the last time
Mr.. Hardness had the pleasure of gazing
upon his countenance He learned by chance
the next day that the Oakland property had
not been sold and that no bid had been made
for it by his Teutonic protege. But a. man
of twenty millions consoles himself easily.
|. ga smart chap" he said to himself, nod
ding approvingly; "on the whole it was not
a bad investment. The mere experience was
worth S45, 900, with tho fun thrown in."
".
1t twas in the early winter of 1882 that q
visitor was announced to Miss Katchen
Schrader. She gave few decorative
touches to her person before the mirror re-
arranged her hair with critical eye, and
then burst with headlong ardor into the ad-
joining room and flung herselfinto the arms
Of heryisitor. She became conscious, how
ever, before regaining the perpendicular
state, that his enthusiasm was scarcely
equal to her own.
'Well, Max, she said, concealing her dis
ventures"
Instead of answering Max pulled from his
pocket a package OF papers which he un-
folded and carefully spread out upon the
table. They were United States bonds of
the aggregate value of Mt least $50 600.
Katchen's eyes grew big and radiant as
she contemplated the possibilities Of happi-
| ness contained in these prosaic figures. 30,
Max, my dear Max! !" she cried delightedly !;
"you are rich man! How do love you !!
But tell me how you made so much money"
~ made my experiment in transgression."
"Yes, but how did you make it!''
"By the aid of my science"
"Now don't be provoking! What did you
do?"
~ asserted the power of an intellect, the
value of which, for practical purposes, you
had the kindness to question"
20, l shall go mad, Max, If you don't
tell me-" exclaimed the girl. ''Do have pity
on mel"
every we'll, will tell you, not because
you deserve my confidence, but in order to
prove to you that the poverty to which the
| devotee of science dooms himself is volun-
tary one, and on that account sublime. The
stricter moral law which Mr.. Harbitsch and
his like ignore with impunity /, too, could
| ignore and be wealthy as they. To be n
scoundrel and go to Jail for it requires no
great intellect; but to make a safe and
profitable experiment in transgression is
quite another thing"
The story was then told, part of which
we have already heard; how Max happened
to cross in the steamer with Dutch pro.
fessor, who had served two years SEN
tence for counterfeiting; how he had as
sumed his name after possessing himself Of
all the facts Of his history, and in San
Francisco successfully played the part Of
an alchemist. He had invested his paternal
inheritance Of about 5000 in the expert
ment; had bought metallic gold, which he
had reduced to precipitate with sulphate
of iron, and represented it in o finely
divided state as black sand, which an
expert would readily have recognized as
gold, but which would easily deceive men
with no chemical knowledge. When he
related the story of the check and the ex-
actness with which, by his insight into
human nature, he could predict the actions
of a man and allay his suspicious, Katchen's
eyes sparkled with amusement.
10, Max, my dear Max" she-ejaculated,
laughingly, II never dreamed that you were
30 clever"
"But l." he responded, with uncomfort-
able seriousness, ~ gave you credit for
being u great deal cleverer"
"What do you mean by that"
"You seem to have forgotten that this
was mere experiment in transgression."
"Do you mean to say you won't keep the
money!"
"Yes; have already telegraphed to Mr..